Big Ten Network : Homepage Top Stories

Hockey news and highlights with Kara Lentz

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:34:00 +0000

Kara Lentz recaps the early rounds of the CCHA and WCHA men's hockey playoffs and previews Minnesota's Frozen Four game against Minnesota-Deluth in women's hockey.

Wrestlers head to NCAA Championships

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:15:00 +0000

A total of 66 Big Ten student-athletes travel to Omaha, Neb., this weekend for the NCAA Wrestling Championships, scheduled to begin Thursday. The six-session championships will run through Sunday with Sessions Three, Four, Five and Six being televised by the ESPN family of networks. Each weight class will be represented by at least five conference student-athletes, including six at 125 pounds, seven at 133 pounds, five at 141 pounds, eight at 149 pounds, six at 157 pounds, seven at 165 pounds, seven at 174 pounds, seven at 184 pounds, eight at 197 pounds and five at 285 pounds. The Iowa Hawkeyes seek their third consecutive national championship and 22nd in school history. The Hawkeyes have placed a wrestler in each of the 10 weight classes at this year's national championship, nine of which are seeded in the top 12 of their respective weight classes. Four Big Ten wrestlers check in as the top overall seed in their weight class, including Indiana's Angel Escobedo at 125 pounds, Big Ten Wrestler of the Year Jayson Ness of Minnesota at 133 pounds, Big Ten Wrestler of the Championships Lance Palmer of Ohio State at 149 pounds and Wisconsin's Andrew Howe at 165 pounds. The three-day, six-session event will begin with preliminary matches at Noon ET on Thursday and will continue into the evening session beginning at 7:30 p.m. The third session will begin Friday at 10:30 a.m. with quarterfinal action and wrestlebacks dominating the schedule. The championships fourth session begins at 7 p.m. and will feature semifinal action. Saturday morning brings the conclusion of the consolation bracket as third-, fifth- and seventh-place winners will be decided, beginning at 11 a.m. The sixth and final session is scheduled for Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m., where NCAA weight class champions will be crowned. Thursday's opening session will be streamed through NCAA.com. Sessions Three, Four and Five will air live on ESPNU and the championship finals will be broadcast live Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Richmond leads Rhode Island past Northwestern

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:31:00 +0000

KINGSTON, R.I. (AP)—Akeem Richmond scored 14 of his 16 points during a big first-half run as Rhode Island defeated Northwestern 76-64 on Wednesday night in an NIT opener. The Rams (24-9) will host a second-round game against the winner of the game between Nevada and Wichita State later Wednesday. Michael Thompson led the Wildcats (20-14) with 24 points, while Northwestern's leading scorer, John Shurna, was held to 15—3.3 below his season average. Northwestern led 22-20 when Richmond scored 14 consecutive points for Rhode Island in a span of 3:07 which helped give the Rams a 34-28 lead. Richmond connected on all four of his 3-pointers during the run. Rhode Island's Orion Outerbridge converted a three-point play with 1:04 left in the half to give Rhode Island a 37-30 lead at intermission.

Izzo says March rejuvenates him, aiming for 6th Final Four in 12 seasons

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State's Tom Izzo had a tough time pushing the right buttons with some of his players this season. He suspended a couple of them, kicked one out of practice and benched another. Izzo, though, insisted the difficulties were similar to ones he dealt with during the championship season a decade ago. "The problems are no different," he said Monday. "When it's all said and done, the solutions will be good." That will certainly be the case if the fifth-seeded Spartans listen to Izzo and play up to their potential, starting with Friday's first-round matchup against 12th-seeded New Mexico State in Spokane, Wash. Izzo, after all, has led the Spartans to the Final Four a nation-best five times in the past 11 years. They earned their 13th straight NCAA tournament bid Sunday, a streak that trails just Kansas and Duke among active runs and only Indiana's mark of consistency under Bob Knight among Big Ten teams. Izzo is 31-11 in the NCAA tournament and his winning percentage is behind just four active coaches: Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Florida's Billy Donovan, North Carolina's Roy Williams and Louisville's Rick Pitino. "It can help some, but as I've said a million times, 'Players play the game,"' Izzo said. "It does help some that they know that everybody that has been through this program has had some success in March. That's the plus of the Final Four string." Izzo, who makes more than US$3 million a season, is in his 15th year as Michigan State's head coach and is under contract through 2016. His team made it to the finals last year, losing to North Carolina in Detroit, and is hoping to return to the Final Four in Indianapolis, where it won the school's second national title in 2000. The Spartans were expected to have a great shot to win it all again this season, ranked No. 2 in October and November, but they were unable to make up for the loss of departing seniors Travis Walton and Goran Suton, and slipped to 13th in the final poll. Izzo, though, refuses to apologize for the season. Michigan State repeated as Big Ten champions, sharing the title with Ohio State and Purdue, and won 24 games despite lacking on-the-court leadership provided by Walton or a big man with a jumper like Suton. "I don't know what will happen these next two games, three games, four games - or one game - but I do know it's probably been handled better than you think because we won 24 games in a conference that is pretty good," Izzo said. "It has not been as smooth or as good as I'd like it, but it was a lot better than a lot of real, good programs." Izzo has blamed himself for some of the off-the-court news this season, regretting how his accessibility and honesty created stories that he thought were overblown at times. He kicked star Kalin Lucas out of a practice, suspended Chris Allen during the Big Ten tournament and Korie Lucious from a game at Penn State, and has benched Durrell Summers for long stretches. This is the same coach who sent a message to his favourite player, Mateen Cleaves, by sitting him for a practice and sat Morris Peterson for not playing defence when he was building his program in the late 1990s. He has no second thoughts about those moves or any he made this season. "I told my team last night that I don't regret one thing that has gone on this year," Izzo said. "Part of it has made me a better coach. I believe in the end, it's going to help us be a better team and program. "We have the potential to play better and this weekend we'll see if we can reach that potential, but New Mexico State is a dangerous team." Izzo has been pushing his program to join the elite group of teams in college basketball and it is debatable whether he has already reached his goal. Another national championship would definitely do it. That would give Izzo two titles, trailing just John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Knight and Krzyzewski on the list of coaches with multiple titles. Michigan State would join UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas are the only programs with at least three championships. "I think we still have a chance," Izzo said. "If I didn't think so, I would probably tell you." Copyright 2010 Metroland Media Group LtdAll Rights Reserved

Not playing no option for Purdue's Jackson

Pete DiPrimio — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Not play this season? Are you crazy? There was no way Lewis Jackson was redshirting, not with this talented Purdue team, not with championship possibilities. Not play in the NCAA Tournament? Forget that. So what that Minnesota Ralph Sampson and his 241 pounds nearly crushed Jackson's surgically repaired left foot last Saturday. Jackson isn't missing anything else and it starts with Friday's South Region opener against 13th-seeded Siena (27-6). "It's the NCAA Tournament," he says. "This is why I came back. This is no time to baby my foot." Baby days in the aftermath of Rob Hummel's season-ending knee injury ended with the Minnesota debacle. It's time for fourth-seeded Purdue (27-5) to play to its seed, and perhaps more. "The Minnesota loss is very motivating," Jackson says. "Everybody is entitled to a bad game. That was an extremely bad game. It's over. We're ready to show the world we belong on that (NCAA tourney) stage." Yes, Jackson's foot injury cost him a big chunk of his sophomore season. Yes, there remains the risk of another injury, but life is full of risks. "I wanted to play," the sophomore guard says. "I wanted to play with these guys." And so he has. After missing the first 19 games, Jackson has played in the last 13, starting four. He has scored as many as nine points, grabbed as many as four rebounds, totaled as many as five assists. "He's a guy who exerts a lot of energy," coach Matt Painter says. "He pressures the ball. He handles the ball. He uses his quickness to break down the defense. He has to make good decisions. He has to keep things simple and not try to hit home runs." The foot is still sore. Jackson will likely have more surgery to remove what doctors believe is a broken screw in his foot (he has two screws in the foot), but that will happen after the season. Don't worry about last Saturday's collision with Sampson that left Jackson lying on the floor for several minutes before being helped to the locker room. Jackson said the X-rays were negative. He expects to play against Siena. "I've gotten stepped on before in a game and in practice, but that time it was scary because he landed on my screws," Jackson said. "I felt a real bad pinch. After a while it calmed down. I feel good now." A good-feeling Jackson is not an offensive point guard in the manner of, say, Kalin Lucas. Jackson averages 2.2 points. He has taken 37 shots in 13 games and feels guilty about all of them. "I struggle to trust myself in the offense on whether or not to take shots," he says. "Sometimes if I miss I second-guess myself." And yet, what can Jackson do when teams leave him wide open, when they dare him to shoot, when they pack in the defense to make it harder for top scorers E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson to get shots? "I've got to take the shot," Jackson says. "I know and my teammates know I can make the shot, but sometimes I second guess myself. To not be in rhythm for so long, to miss so my time... "I'm still adjusting to shooting off my foot with screws in them, but I have to take the shots and my teammates and my coaches want me to." This doesn't mean Jackson should shoot as often as, say, Kobe Bryant. There is a good reason why teams leave him open. Painter understands. Teams used to do it to Painter when he was a poor-shooting Boilermaker. Jackson's shooting struggles continue. He makes 35.1 percent of his shots. He's 1-for-8 from three-point range. Missing 19 games and nearly three months of the season cost Jackson the work he needed to improve his accuracy. That's what this off-season is for. He did, after all, shoot 44.5 percent and average 5.9 points last year as a freshman. For now, though, the Boilers need him to defend and pass and, yes, rebound. If he scores a few points along the way, all the better. "My teammates keep telling me to keep playing my game," he says. "It will come around." ___ (c) 2010, The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Visit the News-Sentinel, at http://www.news-sentinel.com / Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com , call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Copyright 2010 The News-Sentinel

Big Ten notes: Get your dancing shoes on

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:30:00 +0000

BIG TEN TEAMS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: The Big Ten has had 56 teams receive bids to the NCAA Tournament in the 2000's. During the last 10 seasons, the Big Ten has amassed a record of 81-50 (.618). Michigan State and Wisconsin lead all conference teams having received a berth every year since the turn of the century. Overall the Spartans are making their 24th appearance and currently hold the fourth-longest active streak at 13. The Badgers are making their 12th consecutive appearance for the sixth-best string of active appearances in the country. It is the 16th overall appearance by Wisconsin. A DEEP CONFERENCE: The Big Ten and Big East are the only conferences since 2000 to advance five different programs to the Final Four. The ACC and Big 12 have each had four different schools reach the national semifinals over that time, followed by the Pac-10 (2) and the SEC (2). Michigan State leads the Big Ten with four appearances (2000, 2001, 2005 and 2009) while Illinois (2005), Indiana (2002), Ohio State (2007) and Wisconsin (2000) have each earned a Final Four spot since 2000. HIGH FIVE: Among the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC, the Big Ten boasts the best percentage of teams qualifying for the top five spots on this year's dance card. Of the five conference programs selected to the 65-team field, four earned top-five eeds, representing 80 percent of the conference contingent participating in the 2010 NCAA Championship. With a handful of top-five seeded teams, the Big East landed 63 percent of its representation among the first five lines of the bracket, while the Big 12 saw four of its own earn top-five seeds. The ACC and SEC each had two squads seeded among the upper echelon of the tournament's four regional divisions. LOW SEEDS TURN INTO HIGH WIN TOTALS: Big Ten teams have made a habit of advancing deep into the tournament despite low seeds. In 2005, fifth-seeded Michigan State was the lowest-seeded team to advance to the Final Four. Seven years ago, the Spartans were the lowest seed to reach the 2003 Elite Eight after winning three games despite earning a No. 7 seed. Two other conference teams have advanced to the Final Four in the last 10 years despite their low seeds, as fifth-seeded Indiana advanced to the 2002 national championship game and eighth-seeded Wisconsin reached the national semifinals in 2000. FAMILIAR SETTING: Michigan State is making its 13th-straight NCAA appearance, the third-longest streak in the nation. Only Kansas (21) and Duke (15) have made more consecutive appearances. MSU will be making its 24th appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament with a record 48-22 in its previous 23 tournaments. ROAD TRIP: The Big Ten's five teams will play in three different locations to tip off NCAA Tournament competition. The quintuplet will travel a combined total of 11,839 miles round trip to reach their destinations. Minnesota will make the shortest trip – only 336.80 miles to Milwaukee, Wis. Michigan State will cover the most miles, trekking 2,009 miles from East Lansing to Spokane, Wash. TWO MORE TEAMS DANCING IN MARCH: Illinois and Northwestern both earned postseason berths to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). For the first time in school history, Northwestern has earned consecutive postseason berths. The Wildcats picked up a No. 7 seed in the 32-team tournament and will face second-seeded Rhode Island on March 17. Illinois earned a No. 1 seed in its eight-team bracket and will face Stony Brook in first-round action on March 17. ESPNU will provide live television coverage for both games. SIMPLY THE BEST: The Big Ten's fraternity of coaches has notched 80 NCAA Tournament and 21 NIT appearances, including the 2010 postseason. STREAKING: Two of the Big Ten's skippers are among the nation's best in active consecutive NCAA Championship appearances. Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan are making their 13th and ninth appearance, respectively. Izzo's 13-straight berths rank second-best in the nation behind only Rick Barnes (15) and Mike Krzyzewski (15). Ryan's nine-straight appearances are fifth-best in the country, with only Mike Montgomery (12), Bill Self (12) and Mark Few (11) ahead of him. FANTASTIC FIVE: The Big Ten has five coaches that have appeared in at least one Final Four during their head coaching tenure. Tom Crean, Tom Izzo, Thad Matta, Tubby Smith and Bruce Weber have all coached in at least one national semifinal while four of the five have coached in a national championship game. Only the Big Ten and Big East can claim such experience. MR. MARCH: Michigan State's Tom Izzo is no stranger to coaching basketball in March and has a top resume to prove it. Izzo has coached the Spartans to 13 NCAA appearances and owns a 31-11 record in their previous 12. He became only the second coach in NCAA history to reach four Final Fours in his first 10 years of coaching, joining Ohio State's Fred Taylor who took his Buckeyes to four Final Fours in his first 10 seasons. Izzo is also one of only 10 coaches in NCAA Tournament history to advance to three straight Final Fours, which he accomplished from 1999-2001. TURNING HEADS: Ohio State's Evan Turner was named Sporting News' National Player of the Year and first team All-America. The Big Ten's top scorer and rebounder is the Buckeyes' first honoree since Jerry Lucas, who won back-to-back Sporting News Player of the Year awards in 1961 and 1962. He is the first Big Ten player to be honored by the publication since Illinois' Dee Brown in 2005. During his junior campaign, Turner joined Jim Jackson as the only Buckeyes with 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. The Big Ten Player of the Year also earned an all-time conference best seven Big Ten player of the week awards despite missing more than four weeks due to injury. Overall, Turner now owns a Big Ten record 10 career player of the week honors to his name. The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) also named Turner first team All-America just one week after the OSU swingman became the first Buckeye to garner USBWA District V Player of the Year laurels

Study: Women's teams outperform men in grad rates

ANTONIO GONZALEZ — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:01:00 +0000

ORLANDO, Fla.(AP) A new study shows players on the teams headed to the NCAA women's tournament are graduating at a higher rate than those in the men's field. An annual report released Tuesday by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida also finds that the graduation gap between white and black players is smaller for women than it is for men. There were 19 women's teams that had a 100 percent graduation rate compared to six men's teams. And 51 women's teams graduated at least 70 percent of their players compared to 29 men's teams. The numbers measure six-year graduation rates for the freshman classes that entered college from the 1999-2000 through the 2002-03 school years. The report relies on information from the NCAA.

Purdue hopes to prove experts wrong

Pete DiPrimio — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Suddenly Purdue is everybody's favorite NCAA tourney upset special, the highly seeded team picked most likely to lose before its time. Yes, the fourth-seeded Boilermakers have noticed. Some of this is due to the reputation of its first-round opponent –- 13th-seeded Siena, which is 27-6, has one of the nation's top point guards in Ronald Moore (guards are huge in postseason play) and which has upset Vanderbilt and Ohio State in opening-round games the past two years. Most of it comes from the perceived Purdue vulnerability from the loss of Robbie Hummel and the bad-as-it-could-be loss to Minnesota. Purdue is 27-5, finished 10th in the final AP poll, has won 13 of its last 15 games, has won its last 11 NCAA tourney first-round games, is the Big Ten co-champ and still has three standout players in E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Chris Kramer, plus decent depth, yet is being dismissed as easily as an Illinois-should-have-made-the-field protest. So of course the Boilers are ticked. They plan to show how much come Friday's South Region game in Spokane, Wash. "The best thing about it is we don't have to wait too long to prove them wrong," guard Keaton Grant said. "A lot of people say we won't go deep in the tournament. A lot of people have already counted us out in the first game." Such lack of respect has helped fuel Purdue's rise to Big Ten prominence. Could it fuel a Final Four run now? "Winning is not done on paper," Grant said. "It's done on the court." He paused. "On Friday we'll be ready to play." Losing Hummel was the major reason the selection committee dropped Purdue to a No. 4 seed instead of a No. 3. The Boilers are 4-2 without him. They've played two NCAA tourney teams in that span, Minnesota twice and Michigan State once. They rallied for a 59-58 win at Minnesota, then got hammered by the Gophers and Michigan State. In both losses their offense was atrocious –- 44 points against the Spartans, 42 against the Gophers. So the bad mouthing continues and the Boilers, at least for now, have to take it. "You can't say anything," Kramer said. "We haven't given anyone a reason not to write us off. We have to win. That's the only way to prove it. You've got to prove it on the court." Purdue knows what it can do if it plays to its potential, if it defends ferociously, rebounds aggressively and shoots accurately. It has spent the season proving it belongs among the nation's elite and to have CBS announcer Seth Davis imply that this might be the only No. 4 vs. No. 13 game where the 13th-seed is favored strikes a nerve. "You have to take it for what it's worth," Kramer said. "All we have to do is win basketball games and people will give us credit." The good news is that guard Lewis Jackson is expected to play Friday. He was injured Saturday when 6-11, 241-pound Ralph Sampson stepped on his surgically repaired left foot. X-rays were negative. Jackson, who missed 19 games following surgery to repair ligament damage, said the foot is sore, but he'll be fine. "It scared him more than anything," coach Matt Painter said. As far as playing the underdog to Siena, well, bring it on. "I take that as a big challenge that they pick Siena over us," Johnson said. "We'll be ready to play." Added Jackson: "This team is eager to show we belong. We need the respect we got during the (regular) season." ___ (c) 2010, The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Visit the News-Sentinel, at http://www.news-sentinel.com / Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com , call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Copyright 2010 The News-Sentinel

Minnesota-Michigan St. game sets ratings record

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Minnesota-Michigan St. game sets ratings record

Ohio State adds 2 years to Tressel's contract

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:06:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio(AP) Ohio State has added two more years to Jim Tressel's contract. The Buckeyes football coach had his original contract, signed in 2008, extended through the 2014 season. Tressel, who is 94-21 in his nine years in Columbus, makes around $3.5 million a year, depending on incentives and additions. Athletic director Gene Smith said Tuesday that Tressel told him he was satisfied with his salary. He is aware of the financial problems facing the athletic department, and not sought additional compensation. Ohio State has raised football ticket prices $7 to a face value of $70, and added another $1 to most men's basketball tickets to offset losses in the athletic department. The Ohio State board of trustees needs to approve the contract in May.

Iowa fires Lickliter after three seasons

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:48:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa fired coach Todd Lickliter on Monday, ending a brief and disappointing tenure that included three losing seasons in a row and a parade of players leaving the once-proud program. Athletic director Gary Barta announced the firing at a news conference in Iowa City. The 54-year-old Lickliter had four years left on a seven-year contract that paid him $1.2 million a year. He was not at the news conference and not immediately available for comment. The Hawkeyes, who had just two upperclassmen play significant minutes, finished the season 10-22 -- their first with 20 losses. In all, Lickliter was 38-58 with Iowa. Rumors about Lickliter's shaky job status picked up steam late last week after a 59-52 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament. But his stint at Iowa was also marred by a series of player departures. Four transferred after the 2008-09 season, and sophomore guard Anthony Tucker left last month. Lickliter spent six seasons at Butler before coming to Iowa to succeed Steve Alford, who left for New Mexico in the spring of 2007. Lickliter led the Bulldogs to a 29-7 mark and the NCAA regional semifinals in 2007 and was named the Division I Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. But Lickliter could never get the Hawkeyes moving in the right direction. Iowa finished 13-19 in 2007-08, Lickliter's first season, but that was expected to be a rebuilding year following Alford's departure. Iowa improved to 15-17 in 2008-09, but key contributors Jake Kelly and Jeff Peterson and reserves Jermain Davis and David Palmer transferred following the season. The Hawkeyes were forced to start from scratch yet again this season. Their starting lineup featured four underclassmen for most of the season -- including true freshman point guard Cully Payne -- and the results were predictable. Iowa lost to the likes of Texas-San Antonio and Duquesne at home and finished just 4-14 in the Big Ten. Though the Hawkeyes seemed to be improving in the later half of the year, they finished the regular season with a 27-point loss at Wisconsin and an 88-53 drubbing at Minnesota. Though Iowa lost more than 20 games for the first time, Lickliter's job seemed safe until last week's conference tournament. After the loss to Michigan, Barta issued a statement that praised the players but did not mention Lickliter. Off the court, Lickliter had a health scare in early December. He went to the hospital because of headaches, and tests revealed the beginning of a tear in Lickliter's carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain. Doctors added a stent the next day, and Lickliter missed three games while recovering. Iowa has also seen its attendance dwindle in recent years. The Hawkeyes, who routinely had near-capacity crowds during the Tom Davis era in the late 1980s and '90s, drew just 9,550 fans per home game this season.

Here comes 23 straight nights of tourney coverage

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:06:00 +0000

Here comes 23 straight nights of tourney coverage

Ohio State, three others make NCAA tournament

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:11:00 +0000

PARK RIDGE, Ill. – Four Big Ten women's basketball teams have been selected to the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship, the NCAA selection committee announced on Monday. Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin will all vie for the national title when competition begins on Saturday, March 20. Ohio State earned the Big Ten's highest seed at No. 2 in the Dayton Regional and will face No. 15 St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday at 12:06 p.m. ET at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Buckeyes are making their eighth consecutive and 19th overall trip to the NCAA Tournament and could advance to play either No. 7 Mississippi State or No. 10 Middle Tennessee on Tuesday. Ohio State won the Big Ten's regular-season and tournament titles and is led by three-time Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender. Michigan State was named the No. 5 seed in the Kansas City Regional and will open NCAA play against No. 12 Bowling Green on Saturday at 12:11 p.m. ET at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. A win would face the Spartans against No. 4 Kentucky or No. 13 Liberty. Michigan State is making its second consecutive NCAA appearance and its seventh in the last eight years. Wisconsin earned its first selection to the NCAA Championship since 2002, earning the No. 7 seed in the Kansas City Regional. The Badgers will face No. 10 Vermont in first-round action, playing Sunday at 12:21 p.m. ET at the Joyce Center in Notre Dame, Ind. With a win, Wisconsin would advance to play No. 2 Notre Dame or No. 15 Cleveland State. The Badgers' NCAA appearance is the seventh in program history. Rounding out the Big Ten's contingent, Iowa is the No. 8 seed in the Sacramento Regional and will face No. 9 Rutgers on Saturday at 8:16 p.m. ET at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. A win would pit the Hawkeyes with No. 1 Stanford or No. 16 UC Riverside. Iowa is making its 19th overall NCAA Championship appearance and its fourth in the last five years. The tournament bid is the Hawkeyes' third consecutive. The Big Ten places at least four teams in the NCAA Championship for the 17th time in the past 18 seasons, including each of the last three years. Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State all made the field of 64 last year, while the Hawkeyes have earned spots in the last three tournaments, and the Buckeyes are appearing in their eighth straight bracket. The 2010 NCAA Women's Final Four will be held April 4-6 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Five Big Ten teams land NCAA tourney bids

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:23:00 +0000

Five Big Ten teams were selected to participate in the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Big Ten Tri-Champions Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State will represent the conference along with Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Ohio State, also the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Champion, is the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional and will be at the Milwaukee first/second round site. The Buckeyes will face No. 15 UC Santa Barbara for their first game while the winner of that will take on the winner of No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Georgia Tech in the second round. Ohio State is making its 22nd appearance in the in the NCAA Tournament and second consecutive. Overall, the Buckeyes have a 32-19 record in the tournament and eight appearances in the Final Four, including a championship in 1960. Purdue is the No. 4 seed in the South Regional and will be in Spokane for its first/second round games. The Boilermakers will take on No. 13 Siena with the winner of that game facing the winner of No. 5 Texas A&M vs. No. 12 Utah State. Purdue's appearance is the 23rd in school history and its fourth consecutive. The Boilers have a 31-23 record in NCAA tournament games as well as two Final Four appearances. Wisconsin is the No. 4 seed in the East Regional and will travel to the Jacksonville first/second round site. First up for the Badgers will be No. 13 Wofford with the second round pitting the winner of that game against the winner of No. 5 Temple vs. No. 12 Cornell. Wisconsin will be playing in the tournament for the 16th time and making its 12th straight appearance. The Badgers are 20-14 in their previous trips and have made two Final Four appearances, including winning the 1941 title. Michigan State is the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Regional and will visit the Spokane first/second round site. The Spartans are slated to play No. 12 New Mexico State first with the winner facing the winner of No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Houston. MSU is making its 24th NCAA appearance overall and 12th consecutive. Michigan State has a 48-22 mark in the NCAA Tournament and seven Final Four appearances, including the 1979 and 2000 national championships. Minnesota is the No. 11 seed in the West Regional and will be at the Milwaukee first/second round site. The Gophers will face No. 6 Xavier for their first game while the winner of that will take on the winner of No. 3 Pitt vs. No. 14 Oakland in the second round. Minnesota is making its seventh appearance in the in the NCAA Tournament and second consecutive. Overall, the Gophers have a 7-6 record in the tournament.

Spartans score 13th straight tourney bid

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:40:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State has earned an NCAA bid for the 13th straight year and was named a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. The Spartans (24-8) will face 12th-seeded New Mexico State (22-11) Friday in Spokane, Wash., in first-round action. The Aggies claimed an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Saturday against Utah State.

IU's Drouin wins NCAA high jump crown

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:41:00 +0000

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The NCAA Indoor Championships closed out beautifully for the Hoosiers, as the men finished 6th. Sophomore Derek Drouin claimed his first NCAA title, winning the high jump. Redshirt freshman Andy Bayer scored for the second time in two days, taking third in the 3,000m. Senior Molly Beckwith took fifth in the 800 meters, and redshirt sophomore Andrew Poore took eighth in the 3,000m for All-America honors. The Indiana men finished the meet with 25 points, the best for IU since 2005 and the third-most ever at the indoor meet for IU. The point total was good for 6th place. The IU women score eight points at the meet, the most since 2003. They finished tied for 28th. Drouin is Indiana's first NCAA champion since Aarik Wilson won the long jump and triple jump titles in 2005 and the school's first ever in the high jump. He cleared 2.28m (7-5.75) for the title. The sophomore had only one miss prior to his final bar and he cleared the winning height on the first attempt. Drouin was 1.25 inches better than his closest competitor and improved his school record by .75 inches. He scored 10 points for the IU cause. Beckwith took fifth in the 800m for her first career All-America certificate. Her time of 2:04.46 is .04 faster than her previous best, improving on her IU record. Beckwith was a half second out of fourth and .57 seconds out second. Beckwith is the first All-American for IU in the indoor 800m since Tina Parrot took the NCAA title in 1985. She scored four points for IU. Bayer led with a lap to go in the men's 3K. He recorded a time of 8:11.19 for third place. He was followed in by teammate Poore, who took eighth for his first career All-America certificate. Poore finished in 8:15.76, out-kicking Stanford's Justin Marpole-Bird in the final 50 meters. The two Hoosiers are the first IU runners to score in the indoor 3,000m since Bob Kennedy took 2nd in 1992. IU track and field opens the outdoor season on March 26-27 at the Alabama Relays. For complete coverage of IU track and field, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com.

Gophers earn second straight NCAA berth

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:35:00 +0000

Following a run to the Big Ten Tournament title game for the first time, the Gopher Basketball team earned a second-straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Gophers (21-13) were granted a No. 11 seed and will face No. 6 Xavier (24-8) on Friday at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis. The game time has not been decided. This marks Minnesota's eighth NCAA Tournament berth and just the second time that it has earned berths in consecutive seasons. The Gophers earned a No. 10 seed last season and lost to No. 7 Texas in the first round. The Gophers were placed in the West region with their pod in Milwaukee. If they are able to advance, they will face the winner of No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 14 Oakland on Sunday. Minnesota has won seven of its last 10 games including three over top 15 ranked opponents entering the NCAA Tournament. This marks Tubby Smith's 16th trip to the NCAA Tournament 19 seasons as a head coach. Smith stretched his NCAA-leading streak of consecutive seasons with 20 victories or more to 17 with the Gophers' Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Michigan State on Friday. Smith is 29-13 all-time as a head coach at the NCAA Tournament. As the sixth-seed at the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers recorded wins over Penn State (76-55), 11th-ranked Michigan State (72-67 in OT), and sixth-ranked Purdue (69-42) to advance to their first championship game. But fifth-ranked Ohio State (27-7) went on an amazing run midway through the second half, and earned the Big Ten's automatic NCAA Tournament berth. The Gophers and 24th-ranked Musketeers have played three times, but have not met on the court since Minnesota recorded an 83-76 win on Dec. 27, 1956. The Maroon and Gold has won all three games in the series. Xavier went 14-2 in the Atlantic 10 this season, tying for the regular season crown with Temple. The Musketeers fell to Richmond in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals.

Purdue to face Siena in first round

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:11:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men's basketball team earned its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday night, garnering a No. 4 in the South Region from the selection committee. The Boilermakers will face Siena on Friday in first-round action in Spokane, Wash. The Boilermakers and the Saints will square off on Friday at Spokane Arena. Purdue has won 11-straight first-round games in the NCAA Tournament, having not lost its opening game in the Big Dance since 1993. After claiming a share of its first Big Ten title since 1996, Purdue will make its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Boilermakers are 31-23 (.574) all-time in the tournament, with two Final Fours, three Elite Eights and seven Sweet 16s to their credit. In 2009, fifth-seeded Purdue advanced to the program's first Sweet 16 in nearly a decade. Sunday's announcement marks the first time in program history that the Boilermakers have been selected as a No. 4 seed, and Purdue's highest draw since garnering a No. 2 seed in 1998. Purdue has never played in Spokane, and is 2-1 all-time in the state of Washington. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions, Siena is led in scoring by senior forward Alex Franklin, who averages 16.3 points per game to pace a quartet of Saints who average double figures. Senior guard Edwin Ubiles averages 15.2 points per game, while junior forward Ryan Rossiter averages 13.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per contest. The Saints' offense runs through senior guard Ronald Moore, who averages 7.8 assists per game. Game time and ticket information will be updated when available.

Badgers earn No. 4 seed, face Wofford

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:07:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin men's basketball team (23-8) received a No. 4 seed in the East Region and will face 13th-seeded Wofford (27-8) in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament on Friday at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. UW will be making its 12th consecutive appearance in the Big Dance. The Badgers have never been a No. 4 seed for the NCAA tournament. It will be the second all-time meeting between the Badgers and Terriers, with the teams' previous matchup coming on Dec. 3, 2007. Wisconsin won that game, 70-43, at the Kohl Center. Wofford enters the NCAA tournament as the Southern Conference champion after defeating Appalachian State in the SoCon title game last weekend. The winner of UW's first-round game will meet the winner of the game between No. 5 seed Temple and No. 12 seed Cornell on Sunday, March 21. Important News Regarding NCAA Men's Basketball First/Second Round Tournament Tickets: The Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office will be accepting requests for first/second round tickets beginning Sunday, March 14 at 7 p.m., and ending Monday, March 15 at 1 p.m. online at www.UWBadgers.com. For your convenience, requests will also be accepted by phone on Monday, March 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. by calling 1.800.GO BADGERS. Requests will only be accepted from Coach's Club level donors (minimum $1,000 donated in 2009) and above. Donors will be notified as to the status of their request on Monday afternoon. If tickets remain after the initial offering to donors at the Coach's Club level and above, tickets will be sold to all donors and season ticket-holders on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 1 p.m., while supplies last. First round tickets are $72. If Wisconsin advances, second round tickets will also be $72. Patrons will automatically receive second round tickets if and only if Wisconsin wins its first round game. Visit www.UWBadgers.com for more information.

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